Suicides down slightly in August, Army announces

Oct. 1, 2013 - 04:56PM
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There were 12 suspected suicides among active-duty soldiers in August, a slight decrease from the month before, the Army announced Tuesday.

Two of the deaths have been confirmed as suicides and the others are still under investigation.

In July, the Army reported as many as 19 suicides among active-duty soldiers; three have been confirmed and the others are still under investigation.

So far this year, as many as 106 soldiers are believed to have committed suicide. Of those, 51 deaths have been confirmed as suicides.

Among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, the Army is reporting eight suspected suicides. Five of the soldiers were in the Army National Guard and three were in the Army Reserve.

One of the eight deaths has been confirmed as a suicide.

In July, the Army reported 10 suspected suicides among soldiers in this population. Three cases have been confirmed.

So far this year, as many as 102 soldiers from the reserve component are believed to have killed themselves. Of those, 70 have been confirmed as suicides.

The Army continues to focus on suicide prevention, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Campbell said in September, which was suicide awareness month.

“This is something we can’t just look at in one month,” Campbell said, according to an Army news story. “It has to be a 365-day mission to make sure we can provide our soldiers with the tools they need to deal with the stressors of everyday life, and help them understand that seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness.”

Year-to-date numbers were down for active-duty soldiers but higher for the reserve component. In January through August 2012, 131 active-duty and 80 reserve-component soldiers not on active duty were believed to have killed themselves. The number of those cases confirmed was not immediately available.